BUENOS AYRES. 



Buenos 

 Ay res. 



Cabot re- 

 turns to 



.Spurn. 



Story of 

 Hurt ado 

 and Mi- 

 randa. 



of his discoveries and operations. The emperor was 

 so delighted with the appearance of the pieces of 

 silver, which were the first that had been brought 

 from America to Spain, that he not only approved 

 of Cabot's deviation from his original instructions, 

 and of all that he had hitherto done, but he ordered 

 a great armament to be fitted out for accomplishing 

 the complete conquest of the country. Six years, 

 however, elapsed before this armament was ready for 

 sea; and, during that time, the fort of Santi Espiritu 

 had been destroyed, and the country entirely evacu- 

 ated by the Spaniards. 



Cabot, after waiting two years, and despairing of 

 reinforcements, resolved upon returning to Spain, and 

 appointed Nuno de Lara governor of the fort in his 

 absence, with 110 men. Hitherto a good under- 

 standing had been carefully cultivated with the na- 

 tives, who frequently visited the Spaniards, and sup- 

 plied them plentifully with provisions ; and since the 

 departure of Cabot, Lara had assiduously applied 

 himself to promote and to maintain it. Its continu- 

 ance, however, was not of long duration, and was 

 interrupted by a circumstance equally unforseen and 

 unsuspected. Mangora, cacique of the Timbuez, in 

 the course of his frequent visits to Lara, had become 

 violently enamoured of Miranda, a Spanish lady, and 

 wife of Hurtado, one of the principal officers of the 

 fort. Accustomed to the unrestrained indulgence of 

 his inclination, the Indian thought only of getting 

 her into his power; and frequently pressed Hurtado 

 to pay him a visit, and bring his wife along with him. 

 The lady, however, had suspected the design of 

 Mangora, and warned her husband of her apprehen- 

 sions ; but as it was the interest of the Spaniards to 

 live in good terms with the cacique, Hurtado de- 

 clined the invitation in the politest manner. But the 

 Indian was not to be duped by this evasion, and de- 

 termined, as he could not succeed by cunning, to 

 accomplish his purpose by force. He accordingly 

 chose an opportunity when Hurtado was absent with 

 a detachment of forty soldiers in search of provisions, 

 to surprise the Spanish garrison. Having posted a bo- 

 dy of his bravest subjects in ambuscade near the fort, 

 he approached with a few followers under the friend- 

 ly pretence of bringing refreshments. Mangora was 

 received as usual with every demonstration of cordi- 

 ality ; but he had no sooner gained the gate, than 

 he gave the signal to the ambuscade, when the 

 fort was immediately filled with Indians. A dread- 

 ful scene of carnage ensued. Every Spaniard was 

 massacred, but in the rnidst of the slaughter the 

 treacherous cacique fell by the hand of Lara. Mi- 

 randa, four other women, and four children, the 

 only survivors, were carried before Siripa, the bro- 

 ther and successor of Mangcra, who being also struck 

 with her beauty, conceived the same violent passion 

 for her which had proved so fatal to his brother. 

 His behaviour, however, was tempered with a gen- 

 tleness and lenity, which could not have been ex- 

 pected from a savage ; and though she repelled all 

 his offers with the utmost disdain and acrimony, yet 



he continued to treat her with great moderation and 

 respect. 



On the return of the convoy to the 2 uins of Ca- 

 bot's fort, Hurtado, not finding the body of his 

 faithful Miranda, and impelled by conjugal affection, 

 set out alone to seek her among the Indians. Siripa, 

 indignant at his presumption, and conceiving him the 

 only obstacle to his happiness, ordered him to imme- 

 diate execution ; but Hurtado was saved by the in- 

 tercessions of his wife. The Indian, however, worn 

 out at last by her resistance, and his own jealousy, 

 commanded them both to be destroyed. * Mosquera, 

 upon whom the command of the few surviving Spa- 

 niards had devolved, was compelled, by the irre- 

 concileable animosity of the Indians, to abandon 

 the fort, and retired to the coast of Brasil. 



Such was the situation of affairs in Paraguay when 

 the Spanish armament arrived in 1535, under the 

 command of Don Pedro de Mendoza, who was ap- 

 pointed governor and captain-general of all the coun- 

 tries that might be discovered as far as the South 

 Sea. This armament consisted of fourteen vessels, 

 carrying 72 horses, 2500 Spaniards, and 150 Ger- 

 mans, Flemings or Saxons. The first care of Men- 

 doza was to select a convenient station for a new 

 settlement, and having fixed upon a spot on the south 

 bank of the river, he there founded the city of Buenos 

 Ayres, on the 2d of February 1535. The natives, 

 who at first brought provisions, and seemed well dis- 

 posed towards the Spaniards, soon shewed a deter- 

 mined hostility to the settlers. They cut off their 

 foraging parties, intercepted their provisions, and 

 massacred every European whom they found strag- 



tling in the country. They even attacked the city, 

 illed thirty Spaniards, and burnt almost all the 

 houses. This opposition, added to the ravages of fa- 

 mine and disease, which had begun to rage in the 

 colony, determined the governor to look out for a 

 more eligible situation for an establishment, and for 

 that purpose proceeded up the river. Having re- 

 built the fort of Santi Espiritu, under the name of 

 Buena-Esperanza, he dispatched his lieutenant Ayo- 

 las with three barks well manned to continue the 

 voyage ; and required him, if he, did not return with- 

 in four months, to transmit an account of his opera- 

 tions and discoveries. Mendoza soon after became 

 dangerously ill, and naming Ayolas his successor in 

 the government, embarked for Spain, but died on his 

 passage. Ayolas pushed up the river, and treated ami- 

 cably with all the natives whom he met upon his voy- 

 age, until he came to the 25th degree of latitude, 

 where the Indians declined all kind of intercourse 

 with the Spaniards. He immediately landed his for- 

 ces, and fought the Indians in the valley of Guarnipi- 

 tan. They were defeated with great slaughter, and an 

 immediate peace was the consequence, when the In- 

 dians not only supplied him with provisions, but also 

 brought seven young females for Ayolas, and two for 

 each of his soldiers. Here Ayolas built a small fort, 

 which he called Assumption, from the day on which 

 the battle was fought, being the 15th of August 



Buenoj 

 Ayres. 



The Spa- 

 niards com- 

 pelled to 

 evacuate 

 the coun- 

 try. 



A new ar- 

 mament 

 under 

 Mendoza 

 arrives iu 

 1535. 



Buenos 



Ayres 



founded. 



Mendoza 

 names 

 Ayolas hig 

 successor, 

 and em- 

 barks for 

 Spain. 



* This story, which bears evident marks of Spanish romance, is presented to our readers upon the authority of every his- 

 torian of South America, though we ourselves do not vouch for its authenticity. 



